It’s no secret that the UK has set itself ambitious greenhouse gas reduction targets, with the aim to reduce emissions by at least 80 per cent by 2050, compared to the baseline level in 1990.

However, a report published earlier this month has suggested that the UK could hit a net-zero target for its carbon emissions if it adopts certain strategies.

The Guardian highlighted the research from the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering. This working group has suggested that hitting the net-zero target could be achieved by measures such as restoring wetlands, planting trees and using chemicals.

The latter would involve a process known as direct air capture, which uses chemicals to “scrub” the air and remove carbon dioxide. It works by using different compounds that react with the CO2 in the air to create new chemicals that can then be disposed of.

While the government’s main focus should be on reducing emissions across the board, Nilay Shah, a member of the working group on the report and head of chemical engineering at Imperial College London, said that this won’t be enough to completely eliminate emissions.

To fully decarbonise the UK, steps to encourage direct air capture need to be taken by the government. Shah commented: “We will need to remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere as well as work on ways to stop emitting so much in the first place.”

However, the main stumbling block to this approach is the cost of introducing the technology and carrying out the process – something that the government will need to address if it is to stay on track to meet its carbon reduction targets.

One of the challenges is deciding how to value the captured carbon dioxide, something that could be of interest to mineral processing firms that could look for ways to benefit from the process.